Escape
by Wolfrunner99-2
Summary: AU on how Jack became a Guardian. Pitch has taken control of the world by kidnapping all of the children of the world, Jack included. Jack escapes to the Guardians, but just how far will he have to go to truly break free from the bonds that hold him in fear?


North and the other Guardians were gathered at the Pole, looking at the moon crystal that had risen from the ground, courtesy of the moon. The MiM had just told them of Pitch's plan, and what he planned to do with the children.

"He is choosing new Guardian!" North said with awe.

"Oh, I wonder who it could be!?" Tooth shouted with glee.

Bunny could be heard begging for it not to be the Groundhog as the others tries to guess who it was. They were all surprised to see who it was.

"Jack Frost!?" North said.

"Jack Frost!? He's just a kid, he doesn't care about children! All he does is freeze water particles and mess with my egg hunts! He's an irresponsible, selfish-" Bunny ranted.

"Wait, Bunny, you say he is child?" North interrupted.

"Yeah, he can't be more than fourteen! How is supposed ta protect the children? He looks like he can barely take care of himself!" Bunny said.

"Bunny, Manny said ALL of the children. Do you think that that includes Jack?" Tooth said.

Bunny opened his mouth, then closed it in shock. "We have ta get him before Pitch does." Unfortunately, they were too late. Pitch already had him. They had failed their duties as Guardians.

~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~FOUR YEARS LATER~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_ ~_~_~

Jack fell awkwardly on his right arm, the force of the shove causing the fragile appendage to snap and pain shot through his nerves. Even with the pain, he barely let out a whimper. It was not the first time he had had his arm broken while taking the blame for something he did not do. Currently, he was being punished for throwing his water at one of the guards, even though it was an accidental slip up from a younger kid.

Being imprisoned by Pitch Black, the Nightmare King, was not without consequence for ones body. Of course, Jack had reasons for letting himself be punished, other than that the kid didn't deserve to be punished for a mistake. One reason was that was going around personally to give nightmares to the kids. Another was that by doing this, he would get something crucial for his plans to escape.

All of the prisoners here were kids. Pitch's rule began when he had the Nightmare Army that was at his command kidnap all the children of the world. Jack, even though he was 300 years old and the Spirit of Winter, was included in this. He had died at 14, never to age another day in his life. Ever since he had been taken, Jack devoted himself to making Pitch regret that he had ever thought to kidnap children. It worked smoothly until Pitch had his staff taken away from him.

After that happened, Jack refused to use his powers when he was around the other children, the guards, really any living thing that he could potentially harm. Even if they did deserve it. So jack spent his time meticulously planning his escape, taking note of every guard patrol that went by, keeping tabs in his head on when Pitch was around. He had mapped out almost the entire building in his head, memorizing every twist and turn that the dark, windowless building posessed until he knew them like the back of his hand. Unless they decided to suddenly change the routine that they had kept up for the past four years today, Jack would not be surprised by anything.

The Nightmare Guard forced him to his feet. The nightmares were often seen in the forms of horses, but when doling out punishments, they were in the form of humans. It was easier to control the kids that way.

"You broke my arm." Jack stated emotionlessly. The silent guard took his arm and examined it closely, finally letting go when it deemed that it was truly broken. It forced Jack down a hall, through the long, large, dark building. There was not a lot of light there, only enough to cast shadows.

Instead of taking him to the medical wing, the guard forced him to continue forward. "Um, you know that we just past the medical wing, right?" Jack questioned. The guard, as always, was silent, still forcing the Winter Spirit forward. Jack was being shoved slowly but steadily towards a part of the compound he had never been to before. Jack was going to have to wait another day to escape if he wasn't back in his cell on time.

Jack was nervous about going to this new part. It felt dark and cold. Not Jack's kind of cold, but and evil one. It felt like when Pitch was around. Maybe this was the part of the compound that Pitch stayed in. Jack tucked this thought away for future reference.

The guard finally allowed Jack to stop in front of an ornate door, made completely of black sand. It creeped Jack out, really. The guard seemed slightly afraid as it knocked on the door. After a moment of awkward waiting, the door simply disolved, showing blackness beyond.

Jack shuddered at the sense of foreboding that overtook him. It increased as black sand pushed him further into the dark. There were few things that the Winter Spirit was afraid of, but the dark was one of them. If it were up to Jack, he would cover the world in snow, giving light to the darkness as the moon and stars reflected off the cold, white crystals of ice.

Jack let out a slightly feral growl as the sand became more forceful. As a result, the sand smacked him in the head and gave him a shove that knocked him to the ground. Jack gave out a whimper and held his injured arm close to him. The sand weaved its way through his tangled, dirty, white hair and dragged to his feet, making him cry out in pain.

Jack felt himself being dragged cruelly through the blackness, but was having trouble focussing on anything other than the sharp pain in his head and the white hot burning in his arm. He tried to block out the pain, but his brain refused to comply.

He had to force back a choked sob of relief as he was finally released on a small patch of light, seemingly the only one in the room. He shook his head like a dog, intent on ridding his hair of the black sand that was there. He stiffened as he heard a cold laugh that sent shivers down his spine.

"Oh Jack, when will you learn? There really is no point in being defiant. After four years, you should know that." Jack glared in the direction the silky, british voice had come from.

"Ah well, I don't really see why I am here. One minute I was spreading snow, doing my job, minding my own business, and the next I am stuck in a windowless building with only my staff to keep me occupied. Then you very rudely took my staff away, so to be honest, I am very bored. There's nothing to do but sit here 24/7." Jack said conversationally, as though he were not in extreme pain and actually a little scared.

"Why don't you take a little nap? I am sure my nightmares could give you something to occupy your mind with. They are a little put out that they never get to play with you. After all, every time they try, you are wide awake, freezing your cell. Pity, I had hoped that taking away your staff would stop that, it being your main source of power." Pitch sneered. Jack thought he was a fool for thinking that the staff had any power, it actually dampened his power.

"Well, we all know that you and Hope don't exactly get along." Jack added a sharp chuckle at the end, keeping up his tough guy act.

He let out a little noise as black sand curled around his throat warningly, just enough to scare and bruise him a bit, not enough to actually cause any real harm. "I will only say this once, so listen closely, Frost," Pitch spat as he finally came into view. "Never again will you ever mention that ridiculous rabbit again, nor any of those foolish guardians. They are no more. You see, as long as I have the children, they cannot attack me. They are too afraid and too weak to take the risk of harming the children in an attack. Do you understand?" Jack glared at the ground, knowing better than to provoke Pitch in a time like this.

"What do you want, Pitch? My arm is broken and I would really like to get it set before it heals on its own and I have to get it re-broken." He said, forcing to make his tone sound compliant and not defiant.

"Maybe if you stopped riling up the nightmares you wouldn't have to go to the medical wing so often." Pitch snapped dismissively. The shade sighed, as though disappointed in Jack's answer. He waved his hand and Jack was once again forcefully led through the compound, back to the medical wing. His arm was set and wrapped in a splint, and Jack was locked inside his cell.

Jack sighed in relief when he realized that he would not have to set his plans back a day. Seeing the lone nightmare guard walk by, he began to shift the bandages off his arm until he got to the metal and wood splint. The splint was made of three parts, metal, wood, metal. They were all very sharp, thin triangles when separated.

Being careful not to disrupt it too much, Jack's nimble fingers separated one of the metal parts. When he had it, he carefully rebandaged his arm and began to pick the lock.

He winced as the door clicked quietly, but the guard was long gone by now, probably in the next hall. Like a ghost, he slipped out of his cell, through the halls, avoiding guards and out of the windowless compound Jack had been memorizing for four years.

He only let out a sigh when he was about a mile away. Only then did he call the felt the wind surge joyfully around him. Jack gave a smile, glad to have his friend and protector around him once more. He mentally willed the wind to pick him up, which it did gladly. It was difficult to communicate how high and fast Jack wanted to go without his staff, so his flight to the North Pole was choppy, the fact that he was injured did not help.

Jack landed badly on his left ankle, breaking it. Jack winced, hopping up and down on one foot. The wind lifted him off the ground, sensing his pain. Steeling his nerves, he had the wind fly him to the front door. He slowly brought his good arm up, and knocked. There was a shuffling behind the door, then it opened up a crack. A tall, furry yeti appeared from within. Jack recognized him as Phil, Head of Security at the pole.

"Hey Phil, long time no see." Jack said, a hesitant grin on his face. Phil's eyes widened at him, then the yeti rubbed his eyes and he pinched himself. "Um, Phil? You aren't dreaming." Jack said, letting out a little chuckle. Phil reached out to grab him, but Jack flinched back, throwing up his good arm. Phil froze, and Jack slowly let his arm come back down, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry, Phil. You surprised me." Phil once again reached out, much more slowly, and grabbed Jack's shoulder gently. He pull the Winter Spirit towards himself. When Phil was sure that Jack was real and was not going to disappear, he pulled the immortal child into a hug. Jack gasped and tensed at first, but he slowly relaxed. "Hey Phil, I need to speak to the Guardians." Phil nodded understandingly and ushered Jack out of the cold winter wasteland outside the Workshop.

Yetis stared at Jack as he was led through the Workshop. Phil stopped at a large, cheery door with Russian music blasting through it. Phil was about to rudely open the door but Jack stopped him.

"Don't you think we should knock?" Phil winced and knocked loudly on the door. There was a pause, then the music shut off. Loud stomps could be heard coming towards the door. The door opened fully, revealing a tall, large, Russian. Jack flew back a little unconsciously. The man noticed the movement and looked at Jack. He then mimicked Phil unknowingly by rubbing his eyes and pinching himself. Jack would have laughed at the reactions he was getting if he weren't in pain.

"Um… Hi. You're North, right?" North nodded, still staring, mouth hanging open. Jack hovered awkwardly, not sure what to say.

"Jack Frost. You are Jack Frost, da?" North said, breaking out of his shock and making Jack jump in mid-air.

"Yes, that's me. Jack Frost, Spirit of Winter, Immortal Child." Jack said hesitantly.

"B-but Pitch took you!" North said loudly, making Jack wince a little, but smile. Jack was filled with Wonder over North's accent. It had been a while since he had heard a different accent other than Pitch's.

"I… sorta… escaped." Jack said, still hesitant. He looked from North to the ceiling. He was surprised to hear a joyful laugh coming from the big man.

"You escaped with one arm!? How!?" North shouted loudly. He had such a childishly curious face, Jack couldn't bring himself not to tell him. Jack told him how he used part of his splint to help him escape.

"How did Pitch get you? Every spirit was looking for you to keep you from him, how did he get to you first?" North asked seriously.

People had been looking for him? He hadn't known that. "I was spreading snow over one of the compounds. To cheer some of the kids up. I landed on the branch of this really big tree, just watching, thinking of what I could do to get the kids to have a little fun without them getting them in trouble. Then I was falling through darkness. I landed on my back, and Pitch was staring down at me. I tried to call the wind, but I couldn't. Pitch's nightmares forced me into a cell. I did my best to ruin Pitch's life, freezing over everything, telling the kids about you guys. About a year ago, Pitch tried to put a stop to it by taking away my staff. I had to distance myself from the kids after that. I didn't have anything to channel and dampen my powers, so they were out of control. I didn't want to hurt any of the kids because I couldn't control my powers. I would still tell them stories, keep them believing. I told them that if they ever got transfered, they were to tell the other kids the stories, and keep them believing. We were only allowed to be in the same room during meals and for one hour a day, so I protected them when I could. I would take the beatings and punishments that were supposed to go to the kids, I would give my food ration to the younger ones because I can survive without eating. When I was away from them in my cell, I would plan my escape. I know that compound like the back of my hand. I memorized what times the guards were there, and when Pitch was there. I have been trying to get my arm broken for a while now because I needed the splint. I finally got it today, but before I got the splint, I was taken to Pitch. He wasn't very happy about me being defiant, and he basically told me to never to speak of you guys again after I said hope wasn't on his side." Jack finished with a pained sighed.

North had been silent during the entire thing. "Come, we must inform other Guardians, let them hear your story as well." Jack was led to a room with a giantt globe in the center, clusters of golden lights spotting acrossed it. The clusters seemed to be growing larger, which was both good and bad. Good because it meant Jack's stories were getting because it showed you the extent of Pitch's doing.

North walked over to the control desk and did something, then, a moment later, the Northern Lights took off into the sky, a signal to the other Guardians.

"Won't Pitch be suspicious if he sees them?"

"Nah, we do it all the time. Pitch does not even care anymore. He thinks we have given up!" North gave a belly laugh that made Jack smile.

They didn't have to wait long for the other Guardians to arrive. Sandy was first.

The little man flew right past Jack at first, before flying back, eyes wide. The dreamcaster then bundled him up in a hug, accidentally getting dreamsand all over him. Jack yawned, fighting sleep. He hadn't slept in four years, not wanting to endure nightmares that roamed the compound.

"Sandy! No, please don't send me to sleep!" Jack said panicking. Sandy looked at him confusedly, adding a question mark to his expression.

"I… I haven't slept in four years. I couldn't, too many nightmares around." Sandy gave a reassuring smile to him and showed him a couple of images. "You… won't let the nightmares get me?" Jack guessed. Sandy nodded, and Jack yawned. He was really tired.

"Not too long, okay?" Sandy nodded, and with that, Jack was out like a rock, sleeping peacefully on a cloud of sand.

Tooth was next, an army of fairies behind her. She immediately saw Jack, sleeping. She let out a little silent squeal of joy when he opened his mouth slightly, revealing teeth white as snow. "North! That's a child! That's not just any child, either! That's Jack Frost! How did he get here!? I thought that Pitch had him, oh, his arm is broken! Oh, I am going to knock out all of Pitch's teeth! He's so cute and innocent!" Tooth whispered very quickly, getting angrier and faster in her rant.

"Tooth! Shh, he is sleeping. He has not slept in four years. He deserves to rest." North said consolingly. Tooth nodded, her anger being forgotten when she had to pull her mini fairies away from the boy's mouth.

Bunny was next, complaining loudly about the cold to North. He was surprised to have golden sand suddenly covering his muzzle and a very angry Sandy pointing to the sleeping child. Bunny's eyes widened and he shook his head, sure that he was imagining things.

"Is that… Jack Frost?" He whispered, and Sandy gave a happy nod. "Why does he look like he went a couple of rounds with a car?" Sandy shrugged and pointed to North. Bunny got the message. North was waiting to tell them when Jack was awake. So they waited, for hours. Tooth was taking a break. Pitch had left only the youngest of kids, the ones that absolutely needed their parents to take care of them. Since he had, she could not collect the imprisoned children's teeth, and the younger children very rarely lost their teeth.

Sandy should have been off, but he could send out dreams just fine here, and he was making sure that one very special child slept peacefully that night.

When Jack woke up, he almost had a panic attack when he saw a crowd of little fairies watching him sleep. "Ahh!" With that, Jack fell off the cloud of sand, hitting the floor with a yelp of pain and a loud thud. Ice shot out everywhere, coating the floor and lowering the temperature dramatically. "Ow…" He groaned. The little tooth fairies swarmed around him, obviously worried about him. One of the braver ones came right up to him and nuzzled into his cheek. "Hey, little Baby Tooth, I'm okay. Don't worry, just a little beat up from before I got here. Nothing that can't heal on its own in time."

The little fairy flew around his head as he let out a smile. Jack was fast to catch the other swooning fairies. He looked at them all with concern, afraid it was something that he had done. Baby Tooth assured him that they were okay, then darted out of the room, leaving him holding the slowly recovering fairies. "Um…." He said. He sighed in relief as the last of the fairies took flight once more, just as Baby Tooth returned with North, Sandy, and two others. One of them was obviously the Easter Bunny. They had crossed occasionally, but never got along, especially after the Blizzard of '68.

The other one must have been the Tooth Fairy, she looked like a larger version than her fairies. She saw Jack on the ground, awake, and she zoomed over to him. "Hi! You must be Jack, I'm Tooth! Can I see your teeth? I want to make sure that Pitch didn't ruin any of them." Jack looked at the little tooth fairies who were also giving him pleading looks, so Jack reluctantly nodded.

Like lightning, Jack's mouth was open and delicate hands were examining his teeth. After a while, they retreated, allowing Jack to close his mouth. Jack flashed the little fairies a half grin, which disappeared as they swooned again. The Guardian's chuckled at his face as he held them off the ground, worried. "Why do they keep doing that?" Jack said, turning to Tooth. Only to find that she too had fainted and was lying on the ground. "Uh… Oops?"

The Guardians laughed at his expression of concern. The only fairy not out cold was the one Jack had affectionately dubbed Baby Tooth.

Do not worry, Jack. They like your teeth." North said.

"I'm… honored?" Jack said hesitantly, hoping the fairies in his hands would recover soon. He almost gave them a grin when they did, but stopped himself at the last minute. The fairies each gave him a dreamy smile and flew over to their mother, who woke with a start.

"What?" She flustered around for a few minutes until she remembered what happened. Then she went bright red.

"So, Frostbite. How did ya get so beat up?" Bunny said, not one to beat around the bush.

Jack seemed to freeze, caught up in a memory. Finally, he repeated his story, his voice trembling the entire time. When he was done, the Guardians were speechless. Tooth dive-bombed him in a hug, Sandy looked like he was going to murder someone. Bunny looked angry and guilty.

"Come on, Jack. I'm takin' ya ta my Warren so I can fix ya up." His tone left no room for argument, and Jack fell through a tunnel, too surprised to stop himself. The Guardians looked at each other, expressions grim, determined to keep their snowflake safe from the monster that still had not realized he was missing a very special spirit.

**A/N: To everyone who read this before, I am sorry, I don't know why it took out all of the spacing, but it should be fixed now. Thank you for telling me!**


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